While research in learning analytics has advanced, limited attention has been paid to the larger policy and strategy considerations that influence the adoption and deployment of analytics in educational settings. Educational data is complex. Different state and provincial agencies collect a range of data on learner and institutional performance. International organizations such as OECD collect and compare performance of learners in the primary and secondary levels. In higher education, annual rankings produce bragging rights for advancing universities and soul searching declining universities.

The problem of data, at a systems level, seems too large and too complex to tackle. Over the last four years, the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) has hosted conferences, workshops, MOOCs, summer institutes, launched a journal, and organized regional events on analytics. During these activities, it has become clear that policy and strategy considerations are hindering the adoption and deployment of LA. More importantly, for researchers, in order for grant-making agencies and foundations to develop research-support programs, the role and value of LA in the education sector needs to be clearly articulated.

This symposium, supported with a grant from Australia’s Office for Learning and Teaching, will engage with researchers and practitioners around the opportunities to advance LA by exploring the various state/provincial/institutional strategy and policy framework. For regions that make effective use of educational data, important competitive advantages exist in the international educational landscape. Our goal over the next two weeks is to evaluate what it means to provide policy and strategy support for systems that are transitioning to data-intensive operations.

This was written by gsiemens. Posted on Thursday, October 3, 2013, at 10:38 am. Filed under Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. Follow comments here with the RSS feed. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.

One Comment

Esther Jackson wrote:

It would seem logical that LA would be key to promoting development in more effective strategies for educational practice. Of course, institutions for higher education are encountering significant competition on a global level with the advancement in technology since schools are seeking to draw students by offering greater efficiencies. I wonder if this could be a significant factor with some role in the lack of attention given to LA.